Improvement in burial-cases



w. K. MILLER.

Making Carbonized Burial Cases,-

No. 57,545. Patented Aug. 28, 1866.

UNITED WILLIAM K. MILLER, OF CANTON, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN BURlAL-CASES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,545, dated August 28, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM K. MILLER, of Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvem ent in Makin Oarbonized Burial-Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the manner of making the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents an end view of a carbonizing apparatus by which the process may be carried out. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal vertical section through the same. Fig. 3 represents one of the carbonized cases.

I am aware that wood has been carbonized or saturated with some liquefied carbonaceous matter, and afterward used. This I do not lay any claim to, as such prepared wood cannot, after it is thus charged, be sawed, or planed, or worked into any of the forms involved in cabinet manufacturing, as the tools become so gummed up as to become useless for the purpose of working such wood.

My invention consists in making burialcases of any woods used for such purpose, and after they have been made and finished so as not to require any further fitting, then carbonizing the burial-cases so that the wood will resist moisture or decay.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A represents a .metallic cylinder, having a.

man-hole, B, in one of its heads, properly secured when in place, said "cylinder being set over a fire-box, G, furnished with a door, D,

I to supply fuel, a draft-hole, E, and flue F,

leading to the exit-pipe G; and the cylinder may, moreover, be inclosed in a jacket, M.

A weighted valve, a, is connected through a steam-pipe, b, to the cylinder or boiler, so that when the pressure in the boiler becomes excessive it may be relieved in the usual wellknown way. There is also a pipe, 0, extending from the exterior to the interior of the carbonizing chamber or cylinder, through which the fluid carbonizing material is fed into the chamber, and a draw-off pipe, 01, to empty the cylinder or chamber, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The cylinder or chamber may be stationary or caused to revolve on journals c c, as may be preferred. The burial-cases I are made of any of the woods used for that purpose, and finished, so far as the working or fitting of the wood is concerned, and the lid screwed on. The cases may be made of varied sizes and laid in nests, (one within the other,) and in this position are placed in the carbonizing -chamber A on a rack or creel, f, until full, or a sufficient number placed therein to make the operation an economical one. The man-hole is then closed. The asphaltum in a fluid state, or coal-tar, or rosin, or any gummy matter, mixed or crude, or oil is then introduced so as to cover the cases in the chamber. The fire is then started up, and the boiling continued under pressure for two or three or more hours, or until the wood becomes thoroughly saturated with the wood-preservin g matter. The carbonizing material is then drawn oif through the pipe (I, and the fire slacked. The cases are then allowed to remain in the dry-chamber for the material to harden and dry by the heat, and when sufficiently dried they are taken out and ready for use.

If found essential, the cases may be deodorized while in the chamber, and after or during the drying, by the introduction of gums or resins of more agreeable odor than that of hydrocarbons, though linseedoil, rosin, and other preservatives that may be used would not re-.

quire deodorizing.

The lids of the cases may not be screwed tight down, but left sufficiently open to allow the material to flow in as well as around the cases; and if the chamber he a stationary one the cases should be placed in the chamber with the lids down, so that the material will drain out of them when the draw-ofl" pipe is opened. If, however, it be a revolving chamber, they can be turned into the necessary position to drain.

The joints of the cases will fill with the material and be proof against air and water; and by using a luting or packing under the iid when it is screwed down the case becomes perfectly air-tight, or as much so as metal cases, and has all the advantages of a metal case without its expense.

The keeping of the lid on, or partially on,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Making and carbonizing burial cases of Wood, as and for the purpose substantially as herein described.

W. K. MILLER.

Witnesses:

A. B. STOUGHTON, EDM. F. BROWN. 

